Introduction
This book is all about poker. From the origins of the game to the current phenomenon of the World Poker Tour and the 8773 poker players from around the world that converged on Las Vegas in the summer of 2006 to play in the World Series Of Poker main $10K event and from the instructional point of view to tips on beating the best players in the world it’s all here.
The game of poker has indeed come a long way in the 9 years since TV land took the game from the darkened card rooms of our casinos and put it on our small screens.
But just how do you start? Where can you learn to play? How much will you lose before you start winning? Well I can’t answer that last question for you but the first two you can do right here and now with the aid of this book.
For the purposes of clarity the variation of the poker game we’ll cover is currently the most played and most watched in the known universe. That, my friends, is Texas Hold’Em. Known as the Cadillac of the poker games it’s deceptively easy to play yet so difficult to master.
From the very basics in what you need to play to the skills you’ll need to practice in order to become the best you can be you’ll hopefully find the instruction & guidance contained herein to be of help to you in your quest to become master of the game.
In reading this book you’ll hopefully become aware very quickly that the game of Texas Hold’Em is one of deceit and lies. Where nothing is every quite what it seems and the person who can tell the biggest lies and then gets luckier than their opponents will usually be the overall winner.
As with any game though you need to understand the rules and the strategy that come with the territory. That’s where this book comes in. Throughout the pages that follow you’ll learn about all the things you need to know in order to become a great player.
We’ve got diagrams to illustrate particular concepts, we’ve got some poker trivia for you to talk about whilst sitting at the table, we’ve got some quotations from some of the worlds greatest poker players and writers and we’ve got an A-Z of poker ‘terms’ so that once you DO manage to sit down at a table and play in real life you won’t be wondering what on earth everyone is talking about.
It’ll take weeks, months, and possibly years of practice before you can say that you’re a great player but it’ll take you just a few hours to understand why over 100 million people throughout the world get so much fun and pleasure from playing it.
As with all games there are winners and there are losers. In the beginning you may WANT to be a winner but, because of inexperience, you’ll probably be a loser. That’s ok. We were ALL losers. It’s just that the winners started playing this game before you and, in the natural world of the hierarchy; you’ll be known as the FISH. Don’t worry though! The thing about the fishes is that even they can get lucky and end up winning the game. That’s what’s so great about poker. It’s an EVEN(ish) money bet a lot of the time.
After reading this book and digesting its contents you’ll be able to hold your own against any player you come up against. Try saying that about you versus Tiger Woods at a game of golf!
In summary it’s all here…instruction, play-by-play scenarios, colour graphics to show you the way, poker statistics etc etc. This is the most comprehensive book on poker, for beginners, ever written.
Enjoy!
Next week’s article is on Origins
